A Santa Ana man is facing serious charges after a string of disturbing cat abductions and deaths in the community, authorities announced. The accused, Alejandro Oliveros Acosta, 46, reportedly lured neighborhood cats with food before engaging in brutal acts of animal cruelty. Court documents, as reported by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, reveal that Acosta is charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty, one of felony theft of a companion animal, and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
Investigations by the Santa Ana and Westminster Police Departments led to the grim discovery of multiple deceased cats at Acosta's residence, incidents dating back to November 2024 with reports of dead and injured cats suffering from broken backs and bloody faces, in this case that has shocked the Santa Ana community, residents had turned to Nextdoor to express their fears and share information regarding their missing or harm pets, in a shared effort to track down the person responsible. A witness, on April 3, claimed to have seen Acosta lifting a cat overhead and slamming it to the ground, leading to its inevitable death, while a KTLA report mentioned another pet owner witnessing Acosta inject a substance into a cat, which then died shortly after.
One highly publicized incident involved a Bengal Lynx named Clubber, stolen from its owner, Eva Corlew, but later returned after surveillance footage of the abduction spread online, leading to increased community vigilance.
Acosta, whose arrest came after a lengthy investigation, has been charged and is due for arraignment, the judicial process sees him facing the possibility of several years in prison if convicted, with the Orange County District Attorney asking for bail to be set at $100,000, citing the danger Acosta poses to public safety.
